入門 · Unit 28
be動詞 過去形の疑問文
be動詞の過去形の疑問文は was または were を主語の前に移動して作り、文の最後に「?」を付けます。答えは Yes / No のうしろに主語と was / were を再び入れて短くし、短縮は否定の答えにだけ使います。
概念の説明
be動詞の過去形の疑問文は was または were を主語の前に移動して作り、文の最後に「?」を付けます。答えは Yes / No のうしろに主語と was / were を再び入れて短くし、短縮は否定の答えにだけ使います。
A. 疑問文の作り方 — was / were を前へ
平叙文の was / were を主語の前に移動するだけで疑問文になります。was / were + 主語 + 残り + ? という語順が唯一の規則です。
| 平叙文 | 疑問文 |
|---|---|
| She was at home. | Was she at home? |
| You were busy. | Were you busy? |
| They were in Seoul. | Were they in Seoul? |
| It was raining. | Was it raining? |
- Was she happy at the party? (彼女はパーティーで幸せでしたか?)
- Were you late for work? (仕事に遅れましたか?)
- Was the food good? (料理はおいしかったですか?)
- Were they at school yesterday? (彼らは昨日学校にいましたか?)
B. Yes / No の短い答え
be動詞の過去疑問文には Yes / No のうしろに「主語 + was / were」または「主語 + wasn't / weren't」で短く答えます。肯定の答えには短縮を使わず、否定の答えでだけ短縮が自然です。
| 質問 | 肯定 | 否定 |
|---|---|---|
| Was she at home? | Yes, she was. | No, she wasn't. |
| Were you tired? | Yes, I was. | No, I wasn't. |
| Were they friends? | Yes, they were. | No, they weren't. |
| Was it cold? | Yes, it was. | No, it wasn't. |
- Was Anna at the meeting? — Yes, she was. (アンナは会議にいましたか? はい、いました。)
- Were you sick last week? — No, I wasn't. (先週病気でしたか? いいえ、病気ではありませんでした。)
- Were they in Busan last summer? — Yes, they were. (彼らは去年の夏釜山にいましたか? はい、いました。)
C. 疑問詞 + was / were — 具体的な情報をたずねる
What / Where / How / Who のような疑問詞のうしろに was / were を付けると具体的な情報をたずねる過去の疑問文になり、語順は「疑問詞 + was / were + 主語 + ?」に統一されます。
| 疑問詞 | 質問の例 | 答えの例 |
|---|---|---|
| What | What was your job? | I was a teacher. |
| Where | Where were you? | I was at home. |
| How | How was your trip? | It was great. |
| Who | Who was that man? | He was my uncle. |
| Why | Why were you late? | Because of the traffic. |
- Where were you last night? (昨夜どこにいましたか?)
- How was your weekend? (週末はどうでしたか?)
- Who was at the door? (ドアの前に誰がいましたか?)
- Why were you so quiet? (どうしてあんなに静かだったのですか?)
重要ポイント
- 1be動詞の過去疑問文は was / were を主語の前に移動するだけで完成するという語順が唯一の規則です。
- 2答えでは必ず主語と was / were を再び入れるという点を覚えておきましょう。(X: Yes, was. / O: Yes, I was.)
- 3肯定の答えは短縮せず(Yes, I was)、否定の答えだけ短縮する(No, I wasn't)という慣用が自然な英語です。
- 4疑問詞(Where / How / Who / Why)のうしろに was / were を付けると具体的な情報をたずねる疑問文になるという拡張規則を身につけましょう。
- 5How was ~? は「~はどうでしたか?」という感想・評価をたずねる代表表現で、実戦の会話でとてもよく使われるという点も覚えておきましょう。
例文
Was she at home yesterday?
彼女は昨日家にいましたか?
Was he tired after work?
彼は仕事の後、疲れていましたか?
Was it cold last winter?
去年の冬は寒かったですか?
Was the food good at the restaurant?
そのレストランの料理はおいしかったですか?
Were you at the meeting yesterday?
昨日会議にいましたか?
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こんな間違いに注意
Was she at home?
Were you tired?
Was she your friend?
Yes, I was.
Where were you last night?